About Distracted Daddy
Distracted Daddy is a working father with a two-year-old daughter, a focused wife and a flatulent pug. When he’s not distracted he blogs about poop, parenting and other things at distracteddaddy.com.
A Brief Reprieve from Parenting
the fatherlode: secret dating canada
(Jan.19.12)
Despite being married for numerous years and having a toddler, I still go out on dates. Every month I have a standing date with a woman I love. Don’t worry, that woman is my wife. And that misdirect was not misleading at all.
Someone once said that the best thing you can do for your child is to spend quality time with your partner. I think it was Abe Lincoln.
It’s easy to forget that I married the mother of my daughter because I enjoyed her company. It’s easy to stay at home. It’s easy to catch up on who’s been eliminated from Dancing with the “Stars” or to watch another boring season of Dexter. It’s easy to just settle into your couch indent.
That’s why my wife and I have this thing called “Secret Dates.” Every month one of us is in charge of secretly planning a date.
Here are the rules:
- Alternate every month
- No date in December
- No toddler allowed
- The event can be anything
- Keep it a secret
- There’s no budget (the date can be big or small)
That’s it. We actually started to secretly date before our daughter arrived. It’s fun. It’s exciting. It’s a secret (shh). It’s a reason to get out of the house. You can go out after 7pm, dine at restaurants without ball pits, tell coworkers about your plans for the weekend.
You can abandon your responsibility, provided that responsibility has a babysitter or attentive grandparents present. Duct-taping your responsibility to the wall for a secret date is a no-no.
It’s a brief reprieve from parenting. You don’t have to pack an extra diaper.
There’s pressure and anticipation to secret dates. It’s a night out. Spending it at the theatre eating popcorn while Kate Hudson tries to act is a waste of a sitter. You want an experience.
Maybe it’s bowling or axe-throwing or roller-derbying or afternoon tea. Doesn’t matter. There’s an entire world out there that doesn’t revolve around babies. Of course, when you do go out, the baby is exactly what your conversation revolves around.
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